The following Australian provisional patent applications are hereby incorporated by cross-reference. For the purposes of location and identification, U.S. patent applications identified by their U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. (USSN) are listed alongside the Australian applications from which the U.S. patent applications claim the right of priority.
Not applicable.
The present invention relates to digital image processing and in particular to bump map compositing.
The present invention relates to the production of digital imaging effects. Available products such as Adobe""s Photoshop (trade mark) provide for the creation of complex images having multiple layers which are combined by means of compositing, to form a final image.
In the field of creation of 3D imaging effects, it is known to provide for a bump map so as to produce the effect of a 3 dimensional surface during compositing. The process of bump mapping is thought to have been originally developed by Blinn xe2x80x9cSimulation of Wrinkled Surfacesxe2x80x9d, Computer Graphics, 12 (3), at pages 86-92.
Unfortunately, when utilising the bump mapping process, it is difficult to combine multiple images together, with each image having its own bump map, into a final image. In particular, when producing imaging effects that simulate the process of painting an image with the brush strokes on a canvas, it would be desirable to be able to composite the brush strokes on the canvas so as to produce a 3 dimensional surface texture effect that automatically approximates that which would be produced by an artist.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for a method of compositing multiple images together so as to produce realistic effects.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of combining image bump maps to simulate the effect of painting on an image, the method comprising:
defining an image canvas bump map approximating the surface to be painted on;
defining a painting bump map of a painting object to be painted on said surface;
combining said image canvas bump map and said painting bump map to produce a final composited bump map utilising a stiffness factor, said stiffness factor determining the degree of modulation of said painting bump map by said image canvas bump map.